By Christine Graf

McRoberts Development LLC President Mark McRoberts is moving forward with plans to construct two buildings on a 6.4-acre parcel of land located at 11 Liebich Lane in Halfmoon.

The estimated cost of the project is more than $5 million.

“It will be my first major development project,” said McRoberts who is also president of Gridworks by McRoberts.

Gridworks is an interior commercial contractor business that specializes in metal framing, drywall, taping, insulation, and acoustical ceilings.

McRoberts started the company in 1992 shortly after graduating from University of Arizona. He learned the trade by working alongside his father, a master carpenter who specialized in acoustical ceilings. His father, Richard, had a long career at Davis Acoustical in Troy.

Plans for a 50,000-square-foot industrial/warehouse facility and a 10,000-square-foot industrial/warehouse facility were submitted to the town engineer at the beginning of June.

“We’re waiting for comments and then it will go in front of the Planning Board for approval,” said McRoberts, noting that he hopes to break ground in mid-July.

Environmental Design Partnership LLP of Clifton Park is the consulting engineer for the project. McRoberts will assume general contractor responsibilities.

By Jill Nagy

Area businesses are taking different approaches to deal with a shortage of skilled workers in the building trades.

Jim Curran Electric in Saratoga Springs is a situation where the owner was rescued by a son who, seeing his father “overwhelmed,” relocated from Virginia to join the company.

Mr. Electric of Queensbury runs ads year round on several online help wanted sites. Eastern Heating and Cooling has a well-established apprenticeship program in order to “grow our own.”

Electricians are busy. “There is an avalanche of work,” according to Fred Giardinelli of Eastern Heating and Cooling. “Nine out of ten companies will give you the same answer: it’s “almost impossible” to find qualified people.

Curran reported that he is “too busy to train somebody in the proper way.”  Mr. Electric also is “extremely busy.”

Curran, for his part, has soured on the idea of trying to hire and train new people.

“I used to try to hire people,” he said, “but they were not skilled enough.”

People hired as apprentices often did not show up. At the other end of the spectrum, “if they get too trained, they go out on their own.”

By Christine Graf

Queensbury native Ashley Cirelli was working in the restaurant industry before joining the apprentice program at UA Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 773 in 2015. She is one of more than 450 members of the Queensbury-based union.

“I was working in the restaurant business, but there was no stability. You can make great money, but there’s no retirement or health insurance unless you get it on your own,” said Cirelli whose family has  owned several local restaurants including Cirelli’s Jam ‘n Eggs in South Glens Falls.

After learning about the excellent pay and benefit packages available to union apprentices, she decided to apply to the electrician apprentice program at UA Local 236 in Albany. Her plans changed after a chance meeting with Larry Bulman, director of legislative and political affairs for the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters, that took place at her parents’ restaurant.

After he told her about the career opportunities available to her as an apprentice at Local 773, she applied and was accepted into the program. In August 2015, she started working at GlobalFoundries as a union apprentice. For her, the job was a perfect fit.

“I’ve been very hands-on my entire life. I helped my dad fix cars when I was young, and I used to build computers” she said. “I always wanted to do something in the trades and almost got into the military. But in high school, I was always told you need to go to college no matter what.”

Cirelli did attend college for 18 months after graduating from high school in 2007. She took business management and marketing classes at SUNY Adirondack but never completed her degree.